The present invention relates to payoff or uncoiling devices for coiled metal strip and more particularly to such a device for feeding metal strip into vertically offset guide arrangements.
Numerous devices have been developed for forming, especially roll-forming, of metallic strip. Many of these devices utilize metal fed from a coil mounted horizontally at the front or entry end of the metal forming equipment. A large number of arrangements and devices have been suggested for mounting and controlling such coiled material to obtain a uniform, smooth and non-binding metal feed into the forming equipment. In general, the coil is mounted horizontally to avoid telescoping resulting when a coil of metal is mounted at even a slight angle and no lateral or end-of-coil support is provided. The presence of end caps on coil supports to prevent telescoping, however, can and often does result in damage to the outer edges of the coil if uncoiling is not perfectly aligned with the end caps.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/546,424 filed Oct. 4, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,935 describes one such metal forming device that presents a different, but not uncommon, requirement for the uncoiling of metal introduced into the roll-forming device. This equipment is a small, portable metal flashing forming devices that requires that the metal being uncoiled enter a pair of parallel but vertically offset edge guides within a relatively short distance (less than about 24xe2x80x3) of the uncoiling metal. This arrangement places lateral strains on the uncoiling metal strip and can result in crimping or other unacceptable deformation of the incoming metal strip unless great care is taken. The use of horizontally mounted payoff coils that include end caps results in binding of the metal as it comes off of the coil and damage and marring of the edges of the strip as it is forced, i.e. twisted from horizontal to attain the vertically offset configuration required to enter the parallel but vertically offset edge guides.
Thus, the availability of a payoff device that would permit pivoting of the incoming metal strip as it leaves the supply coil and enters the parallel but vertically offset edge guides would be very useful in ensuring the quality and shape of flashing produced buy such a device while simultaneously simplifying the operation of such a device by eliminating the care that must be taken to assure proper feed of the metal strip to the edge guides.
According to the present invention, there is provided a strip payoff device that allows a coiled strip mounted thereon to xe2x80x9cpivotxe2x80x9d or rotate slightly to better address introduction of the strip into, for example, parallel but vertically offset edge guides located at a relatively small distance from the strip payoff. Allowing the coiled material to pivot eliminates the tendency of the strip, particularly metal strip, to crimp or otherwise bind as it enters the proximately located edge guides.
The payoff of the present invention comprises a frame, and a pivoting spool mounted in the frame. The pivoting spool comprises an axle, at least three pivot assemblies slideably mounted on said axle and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the location of the pivot assemblies relative to the axle. Each of the pivot assemblies comprises a pair of freely rotating, parallel arms of equal length extending radially from the axle toward and rotatably attached to coil supports that, when the pivoting spool is adjusted to its most extended position as described hereinafter, lie parallel to the axle. Operation of the adjustment mechanism causes movement of the extremities of the parallel arms proximate the axle to move inward or outward along the axle thereby adjusting the relative distance between the axle and the supports permitting acceptance of variously sized (diameter) coils by the payoff. Independent pivoting of each of the pivot assemblies allows for self adjustment of the orientation of a coil mounted on the payoff to the position of least resistance as material is drawn off of the payoff and into guides or other vertically offset locations.